Gilgamesh Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gilgamesh - Essay Example â€Å"The mind’s sensitivity to the meaning of life is impaired by fixed notions or perspectives on what it means to be human. There is an infinite continuity of meaning that can be comprehended only by seeing again, for ourselves. We read stories – and reading is a kind of re-telling – not to learn what is known but to know what cannot be known, for it is ongoing and we are in the middle of it† (Brown, 1996). In other words, by learning about the experiences of others, we are able to determine how to behave in order to achieve similar or different results. These stories can thus act as either example or warning, or sometimes both. The epic story of Gilgamesh is a good example of this type of literature. Gilgamesh provides both warning and example as he epitomizes the ideals of his society yet has not achieved enlightenment until after he undergoes a transformation of the spirit. At the beginning of the story, Gilgamesh is introduced as the strongest and best of all God-kings who ever lived. As a being two-thirds God and only one-third human, he has everything desirable in a being – looks, wealth, great deeds, strength and courage. He seems to have every right to be proud and he behaves accordingly. However, the things that prove his greatness, his wonderful temples and other works, are accomplished as a result of his cruelty to the people of his domain, forcing them to continue working on his building projects instead of building up their own comforts or helping others. He even goes so far as to rape women regardless of age, marital affiliation, social class or presence of others: â€Å"Gilgamesh does not leave a girl to her mother / The daughter of the warrior, the bride of the young man† (Tablet 1). After hearing a number of complaints, the goddess Aruru creates Gilgameshes opposite in the form of Enkidu. Where Gilgamesh is civilized, Enkidu is wild; where Gilgamesh is cruel and selfish, Enkidu is caring and giving. Although the two of